Hair-spring-collet remover



l Patented Aug. 15, 1882.

(Model.)

F. M. WILLS,

HAIR SPRING COLLET REMOVER.

l No. 262,875.

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ATTORNEYS.

N. PETER imwumugnpher, washington, D,C,

UNITED 1STATES,

PATENT OFFICE.

FRANK M. WILLS, OF SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS.

HAIR-SPRING-COLLET REMovER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of `Letters Patent No. 262,875, dated August 15, 1882.

Application tiled June 14, 1882.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK MARION WILLs, of Springfield, in the county of San gamon and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in HairSpring-Gollet Removers, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention relates to the tool used by watch-makers for removing the hair-spring collet, with its attached spring, from the stati' of the balance-wheel of a watch whenever adjustment, repair, or replacement by another spring or other part is necessary.

The invention consists in a pair of tweezers ot' peculiar construction and comprising various special details and combinations, including slotted jaws on the ends of the prongs of the tweezers, one 0E which is extensible and controlled by a spring, whereby the removal of the hair-spring collet is effected in every iustance without fail, the tool is prevented from throwing the hair-spring out of truth, the balance-staff is not marred or detaccd, the tool may be used to remove the hair-spring from different sizes or styles of balances, including both two and threearmed ones, the hair-sprin g colletis restrained from being spread or sprung, and other advantages are obtained over or as compared with the tools heretofore in use for the purpose.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in all the figures.

Figure l represents a view in perspective of my im proved tool; Fig. 2, a longitudinal section of the same, in part upon au enlarged scale, on the line x a' in Fig. 3, showing the device as applied to the removal of the hairspring from the staff of the balance-wheel of a watch. Fig. 3 is an inverted plan or face view, upon a still di'erent scale, of the balance-wheel shown in Fig. 2, and which has three arms, with the tweezers as closed about the balancestaft', but omitting the hair-spring; and Fig. 4 is a further inverted plan or face view, upon another different scale, of an adjustable weighted balance-wheel having the hairspring applied to its staff and showing the tweezers in their open condition relatively with the collet of the spring.

In the accompanying drawings, A indicates (Model.)

a pair ot' steel or spring tweezers constructed in accordance with my invention, and B balance-wheels, and C a hairspring for the balances, to illustrate the use and operation ot' the tool, which is here shown as applied in a downward direction, but which may be used in au upward one. One of the prongs, b, ot said tweezers has a longitudinal hole, c, drilled in its outer or working end portion. Within thi-s hole c are arranged a round piece of stubs, steel wire, or other suitable metal, forming a jaw-stem, d, a hard brass wire spiral or other spring, e, arranged around said stem, a steel or other collet, f, fitted to work up and down within the hole c, subject to the guidance of a cross-pin, g, which passes through longitudinal slots h lt in the prong and through the stem d to connect said stem and collet ftogether, and to keep the stern, with its attached jaw ic,

from turning, and a fixed busl1ing,i,at the working end ofthe prong, through which the stem d is guided and free to slide, and between which and the collet f the spring e is arranged, and serves, by its pressure on said collet, to draw the stem d inward.

The jaw k, which is screwed onto the outer end ot' the stem d, has a slot, l, in its forward end. The opposite jaw, k', is a fixed part of the other prong, b', of the tweezers, which prong is bent to form said jaw. This jaw 7c is also formed with a slot, l; but said slot is not restricted to the forwardend only of this jaw, but is extended backward through the jaw and prong and some little distance up or along the latter, as shown in Figs. l and 2. Both forward working ends of the jaws .7c k' are made lieveling, as at s, on the outer faces of their forward ends, and the movable or sliding jaw 7c is made to project slightly beyond the opposite jaw, lc', so that on closing the jaws together the forward end of the sliding jaw 7c will move up over'the bevel s of the fixed jaw 7c and be drawn or forced out against the tension of the spring e. The object of this will be hereinafter explained. One of the prongs has an adjustable screw-stop, m, which, when the tweezers are closed, comes in contact with the other prong to limit the tool to any given or required range of closing action.

To remove the hair-spring collet u, with its attached spring C, from the balancestaft o, the tweezers are manipulated so as to bring the IOO jaws 7c 7c between said collet and the balancewheel B. Upon closing said jaws the beveled surfaces s s bear on the collet on opposite sides of its axis to force it from the balance-stati", and as thejaws meet and their closing action is continued the extensible jaw 7c is drawn outward by its riding over the incline sof the opposite jaw, 7c', whereby the collet n is removed from the balance-stai without fail and without' throwing the hair-spring out of truth. In this action the sharp or knife edges of the jaws k k are prevented from coming in contact with the balance-stai'and from inarring or defacing it by the slots Z l of the jaws receiving said stati' within them, and by extending the Slot l through vthe back and for a short distance up or along the prong b provision is made for removing the hair-spring collet from the balances in which the wheel has more than two arms by receiving the arm which otherwise would be in the way within the slot l', as shown for the three-armed balance-wheel in Fig. 3. Thus, and by the general construction of the device, the hair-sprin g collet may be removed by my improved tool from diii'erent sizes and styles of balances, and this without any tendency to spread or spring said collet. The adjustable screw-stop m limits the tweezers to their proper closing action, free from risk of breakage or derangemen t, and after the hairspring collet has been removed and pressure is relieved from the tweezers to admit of them opening the spring e quickly draws thejaw 7c inward to its normal position for a repetition of the removing action of the device when re;` quired.

Having thus fully described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent- 1. A pair ot tweezers having jaws at the outer ends of their prongs, the one of which is made extensible against the tension of a spring for its riding over the opposite jaw when closv jaws, the extension of the slot Z of one of said jaws through the back of the prong which carries said-jaw, substantially as and for the purposes herein set forth.

4. The combination, with the fixed jaw k of the tweezers, having a bevel, s, on its outer face, ofthe extensiblel jaw 7c, arranged to project beyond the tixed jaw, the stem d, restricted to a sliding aotion in direction of its length, and the spring e, substantially as specified.

5. The sliding collet fand xed bushing i, in combination with the stem clot' the eXtensiblejaw 7c, the prong b, having a longitudinal hole, c, and slots hin it, the cross-pin g, and the spring e, essentially as shown and described.

FRANK MARION WILLS.

Witnesses:

EDWIN C. HAYNIE, FRED L. GRANT. 

